Saturday, June 22, 2002

I have never been a big fan of the activity known as PACKING. In fact, I would contribute heftily to funding of research that is aimed at inventing a packing machine or a packing robot of some sort. First of all, I can�t decide which clothes to take to Lucknow and which to leave behind. Once that is decided, the order in which they ought to be arranged, how the jeans should be placed below the gabs and how one shoe each in between two stacks will save place, all this seems way too complex to me. I love the way we used to pack and unpack when we went trekking. Stuff everything into the rucksack, and if you need anything, just empty the whole thing and stuff it again.

I also have no idea which books to take. Will my favourite- �The Complete Sherlock Holmes� be too heavy? And will I read it that much? How about a few Wodehouses? Also Hitchhiker�s Guide to the Galaxy. They ought to lighten up a particularly stressful moment.

All this and a million other issues to be sorted out to fit all that junk in one huge suitcase and one airbag. I think this is the best initial training an MBA student can get in �resource management�. So I should already have at least 0.5 credits when I reach Lucknow with my luggage in tow.

Ashish�s mom had made lip-smacking fried pomfrets and surmai curry. Now what is surmai called in English? Ever notice how your English may be top-notch and you may even score 800 in your GRE verbal section but there are some words for which you never know the English word? Surmai is one of them. In fact many of them have to do with food. Then there�s �popat� (used in Pune-Mumbai terms), vella, hapta, etc etc. How do you say � �Ye mera mausera bhai nahi, mera chachera bhai hai.�, it�s probably �He is not my cousin, he is my cousin�

Could you people share the words for which you�ll never figure out the angrezi translation?